INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS
Big Week
for Sonex
Unveiling new designs at AirVenture 2010
SONEX AIRCRAFT’S E-FLIGHT INITIATIVE took a major step forward just
before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 with the first taxi test of its
electric-powered Waiex on July 23.
The aircraft is powered by a 55-kilowatt motor, with its energy
coming from a 14,500-kilowatt-hour battery that operates at 325
volts and 200 amps. The battery is rated for operations of up to 600
volts. The motor produces about the same amount of power as a 74-
hp engine, which is roughly equivalent to the Sonex AeroVee engine.
Sonex General Manager Jeremy Monnett estimates the battery can
power the motor for an hour of flying time and said it takes about four
hours to charge.
The company also debuted its newest design during AirVenture
2010. The Onex (one-ex) is a single-place, all-metal design that features
a folding wing, which allows the aircraft to meet standard trailer widths.
Sonex’s SubSonex jet also successfully taxied with its new tricycle
gear configuration on July 23. Because of the increased power of the
PBS TJ- 100 engine selected for the SubSonex, the company determined
that a tricycle gear configuration is needed to increase yaw stability on
the ground in the transition phase approaching takeoff speeds.
For more information visit
www.SonexAircraft.com. To see a video of the taxi tests visit
www.SportAviation.org.
PLANE DRIVEN CREATES
ROADABLE AIRCRAFT
TREY JOHNSON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, built a
Sportsman GS- 2 in Glasair Aviation’s Two Weeks
to Taxi program earlier this year and added a
unique innovation: a ground-side drive system that
allows him to drive his airplane between airports.
A pod system located on the belly of the aircraft
houses the power and electrical components that
transition the airplane for ground movement. The
pod and rear wheels slide back via a railing system
to help shift the center of gravity, and the wings
fold backward to create a more compact design.
For more information, visit
www.PlaneDriven.com. To see a
video of the aircraft at AirVenture visit
www.SportAviation.org.
SPORTSMAN TC DEBUTS
GLASAIR AVIATION INTRODUCED the newest
member of its composite piston-engine aircraft
family, the Sportsman TC, or Turbo Carbon, at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010.
The use of carbon fiber components in the
Sportsman TC resulted in a 40-pound weight
reduction, but the plane actually received
a 150-pound bump in gross weight due to
structural changes designed to increase safety.
The Sportsman TC can be fitted with a 180-
hp turbo-normalized Lycoming IO-360 engine
capable of making sea-level power to 20,000
feet mean sea level. It’s available as a trike and
taildragger, and it can be fitted with amphibious
floats, as well as 31-inch bush wheels.
